Cam Thomas dumped.
Michael Porter Jr. kept.
Cap space used.
For the Nets, this trade deadline went as expected.
With Thomas garnering little interest league-wide, once the 3 p.m. deadline came and went Thursday, the Nets waived the guard who sought out of Brooklyn.
It ended the Thomas era in Brooklyn, the marriage between the Nets and their former top scorer and first-round pick having gone sour.
After The Post reported Jan. 19 that the Nets and Thomas were headed for a divorce, it’s now official.
“I think right now, at this point, it’s a new opportunity for everybody,” Jordi Fernández said before the Nets lost, 118-98, to the Magic on Thursday. “And I think that is extremely valuable. Obviously, appreciate his time with us. I’m a better coach than I was before. It’s been fun to coach somebody who can score at the level he can score.
“And now he has an opportunity to choose where he wants to go, and make the impact that he wants to make. So, happy for him. And we all want to wish him luck.”
Cam Thomas #24 of the Brooklyn Nets looks for the open man as Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Chicago Bulls defends. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Thomas had no market last year or over the summer.
The Nets were just 4-19 when Thomas played legitimate minutes, but 9-17 when he didn’t.
The league has noticed.
Thomas’ poor playmaking, worse defense and injury history combined to end his time with the Nets.
He’ll hit free agency and be able to find a new home.
“Super excited, ready to actually help and contribute to another team,” Thomas told Andscape. “My next team is getting elite scoring, good playmaking and a good combo guard.”
Thomas led the Nets in scoring the past two seasons at 22.5 and 24.0 points, respectively, but three left hamstring injuries limited him to just 25 appearances a year ago.
After Thomas rejected multiple extensions this summer — including a two-year, $30 million deal — he took the $5.99 million qualifying offer, betting on himself.
That bet came up craps when Thomas suffered another hamstring injury Nov. 5.
Cam Thomas attempts a shot during the Nets’ Feb. 3 game against the Lakers. Corey Sipkin for the NY Post
He missed 20 games, and when he returned Dec. 27, he’d lost his starting spot.
Now Thomas has lost his job altogether, but is free to find a new team.
On the other hand, the rebuilding Nets were happy to keep Porter — along with Nic Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe — past Thursday’s deadline.
“I’ve stated that I’m enjoying my time here, and I do see that light at the end of the tunnel, and I do see the path that we’re trying to take,” Porter said earlier.
Porter is eligible for a four-year, $234 million extension this summer.
He could be re-signed on a team-friendly deal, or moved in the offseason — when Nets general manager Sean Marks prefers to trade, and when Porter’s market will be even greater.
While Porter was a salary dump, as was Ochai Agbaji acquired Wednesday, Marks took on a couple more before the deadline.
The Nets acquired Hunter Tyson and Denver’s 2032 second for the less favorable of a Clippers/Hawks 2026 second.
They also added Josh Minott, 23, from Boston.
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None of the moves are huge, but the Minott deal is shrewd.
The Nets didn’t give up a player or a pick, and only sent out exactly the minimum amount required for it to be a legal transaction, $110,000.
Essentially they leveraged Boston’s cap situation and crowded rotation.
“Good business for them,” said an Eastern Conference assistant GM. “He’s a decent young player; just got squeezed out (in Boston). I’ll be interested to see if he gets minutes for them down the stretch.”
In 33 appearances, he averaged 5.8 points and 3.6 boards in 16 minutes, shooting 50.7 percent and 44.2 percent from deep.
The Nets have $4.3 million in cap room left.
To create roster space, they waived Thomas and the injured Haywood Highsmith, who hadn’t played since being acquired as a salary dump.
They still had to clear one more roster spot, with Tyrese Martin out for personal reasons and YES Network reporting he was no longer with the team.
“The games keep coming,” Fernández said on YES Network pregame. “Obviously, there is anxiety. We have to try to help the guys, but also understand that there’s a job to do. And there’s no excuses here.
“But we’re all human, and we understand. And like I said, we have the team that we have for the last 33 [games], I believe. And that’s also exciting. So you have to find the positive out of the sadness of losing guys you really liked, teammates, players and all this stuff. And now we should be excited for this new chapter of what’s coming.”